Suspect – Series 2

BETTER BY WATER

PROJECT DETAILS

When: November & December 2023
Where: Brentford; Butler’s Wharf Pier; Tilbury; Trinity Buoy Wharf; Wapping
Vessels used: Bravo Lima GB; Echo Lima I; Equity; Indigo Lima; Romeo Lima

We had a huge amount of involvement in the filming for the second series of Channel 4 detective drama Suspect.

This included the provision of a wide range of boats, training cast members to drive vessels, the building of a bespoke temporary pontoon, and several days of shooting across many locations spanning the River Thames.

Here’s how we helped make it happen…

HOW LIVETT'S MADE IT HAPPEN

High-stakes getaways were the focus for filming of the second series of Channel 4 crime drama Suspect. For this we worked with the production team across five different locations along the River Thames, stretching from Brentford to Tilbury.

Preparations

Discussions with Suspect’s production team started early, which is always helpful as it ensures we can best understand and accommodate their specific needs.

The creative team fell in love with Tilbury Fort as one of the locations. The moat here is very shallow, so we took regular measurements to ensure we could provide a boat that both met their creative needs and was able to operate safely in the shallow depth of water.

Additionally, the art department needed a pontoon to be built on the moat. So we worked with them to build a bespoke modular plastic pontoon that met the exact requirements for the scene. It’s critically important to us that we do everything we can to meet any production’s creative vision, whilst ensuring everyone is able to work safely at all times.

Alongside conversations with the production, assistant directors (ADs), and locations teams, we also gave boat driving lessons to cast members. We did this out of our central London base at Butler’s Wharf Pier in the same vessels they would be piloting during filming. It made for a lovely day out and created a good foundation of trust between our own crew and the cast

 

Filming

Our first day of filming took place on the river at Tilbury. We had three boats in the water – including Bravo Lima GB and Romeo Lima – so communication was key, especially as Tilbury is an exceptionally busy area with ferries pulling in frequently. However, we managed to get the scenes shot smoothly, which included two cast members in the hero boat.

The next day was at Tilbury Fort, where we had to crane the hero and camera boats into the fort as there was no other way in.

This was also the day where the custom-built pontoon came into play; the art department did a fantastic job dressing it and it looked like a natural part of the fort. We worked closely with the cast, ADs, and director to enable the safest way for the cast members to get onto the boat from the pontoon at speed.

Another getaway scene was filmed coming out of MSO Marine in Brentford. The hero boat for this was Indigo Lima, and the camera boat Echo Lima I. They both have a very shallow draft, making them perfect for this location. This was another great day of filming with the team.

On the same day, other members of our marine filming and coordination team were working with Independent Grip to get a Technocrane from the shore onto Bravo Lima GB, which was to be used as a camera boat the following day. As the leading experts in facilitating camera rigs on boats, we worked with the flood tide to get the Technocrane loaded on safely.

The next day, we had four boats out on the Thames: Equity served as a floating green room for the cast and crew; Romeo Lima supported activities by ferrying crew and kit to and from the boats involved in the scene; Indigo Lima was the hero boat; and Bravo Lima GB the aforementioned camera boat.

We spent the morning on the water at Trinity Buoy Wharf, with the unmistakable sight of The O2 looming in the background. Then it was on to Wapping, where the scene required a beach landing by one of the cast. This was something we had practised extensively during the earlier lessons, and the cast member was now particularly skilled at this – along with a helping hand from our onboard hidden captain!

Wrapping up our involvement in filming on Suspect series two was a drone shoot aboard Bravo Lima GB. For this we met the production team at Butler’s Wharf Pier, journeyed out to get the shots needed, and another highly enjoyable and successful day was had.

It was an absolute joy to work on this series with the production team and we are delighted with the onscreen results. Here’s to a third series!

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